Apparatus for feeding material



Oct. 5, 1937. c. u. BUNDICK ET AL APPARATUS FOR FEED ING MATERIAL Filed Jan. '15, 1934 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 Ill" wmlllllm Mm oar mww E8 m D v. N0 lw M MN Y. v A B am ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,094,581 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING MATERIAL Clarkson Ulysses Bundick,

Barton Allen Proctor, signol's to Kinatome White Plains, and Larchmont, N. Y., a:- Patents Corporation, a

corporation oi New York Application January 15,

16 Claims.

The present invention relates broadly to apparatus for feeding web or strip material, especially motion picture films, although the utility of our invention is not so limited.

This application is a continuation-in-part from our co-pending application, Serial Number 44,482,

filed July ,18, 1925, which upon January 16, 1934 matured as Patent Number 1,944,022.

In our parent application, film handling apparatus is disclosed and broadly claimed which so operates that the feeding of film is controlled by itself, the preliminary positioning of the film in the apparatus is much simplified, and its subsequent handling is much easier, simpler, and involves less likelihood of damage to the film than does the use of conventional film feeding means.

In our parent application, the claims are directed to an apparatus in which the film is preferably drawn from a revoluble film carrier which is revolved by the action of the film being unwound from the carrier. In our present application, claims are directed to the apparatus disclosed in our parent application arranged for having the supply carrier driven by suitable means in a way advantageously to cooperate with the action of the unwindingfilm.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved film feeding means which dispenses with conventional loops of unsupported slack, and has means for decreasing the tension on film being drawn from very large supply coils of film in accordance with teachings of our parent application.

For details of the operation of our device generically reference is hereby made to said copending parent application and to the several other co-pending applications belonging to the same assignee, namely: application Serial Number 187,980 of the applicant Proctor, filed April 30, 1927, and maturing upon January 16, 1934 as Patent Number 1,944,033, and/or to the copending application of the applicant Proctor, Serial Number 332,880, filed January 16, 1929, and maturing upon January 23, 1934, as Patent Numbcr 1,944,036,-said Patent Number 1,944,036 being a continuation in part of hisPatent Number 1,894,963, dated January 24, 1933, and/or to the copending application of the applicant Proctor maturing upon January 16, 1934, as Patent Number 1,944,035.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it being understood that the drawings do not define the 1934, Serial No. 706,760 (CI. 8817) limits of our invention as changes in the construction and operation disclosed therein may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of our broader claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view. partly broken away and largely diagrammatic, illustrating one embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a front view of illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view of mounting the film of the supports. The present invention, as already pointed out, is not limited in its utility to the feeding of any particular material, although it is of decided importance in connection with the feeding of film, due to the necessity of obtaining accurate registration of successive pictures and due also to the frangible nature of the film and the necessity of so feeding it as to prevent the possibility of rupture. As applicable to the photographic art, the invention is not limited to any particular form of projecting or photographing apparatus, and the drawings accompanying this specification are merely for the purpose of illustrating an operative embodiment of the invention.

In carrying out the present invention in connection, for example, with the feeding of film, there may be provided an apparatus comp a feeding reel 2 and .a take-up reel 3, the reels being mounted for rotation on suitable spindles 4.

Located at a suitable point, preferably inter-- mediate the reels, is any usual arrangement of lenses 5 in line with a gate 8 through which the material, herein illustrated as comprising a film 1, is threaded. The 'gate is conveniently provided with guiding wheels 8 over which the film passes. Preferably the gate is of sectional construction, one section carrying the wheels 8 and a portion of the gate, and the other section carrying the remainder of the gate and the intermittently rotating film feeding wheel 9. The wheel 9 in accordance with common practice may be secured to a shaft 1 0. The opposite end 1 cooperates with a driving means ii of the character adapted to intermittently rotate the wheel, as well as understood in the art. As the feed wheel 9 intermittentiy rotates it feeds intermittently successive sections of the film past an aperture l2, whereby the portions of the film are successively exposed.

Cooperating with the feed reel is a braking and tensioning, mechanism preferably comprising a the construction means for yieldingly guides upon the outer ends I supporting arm I! havinga pivotal mounting is,

face bearing against the the support preferably surrounding a substantial part of a drum l! on the feeding reel. port is normally ,urged upwardly. as shown in the drawings, in a counterclockwise direction by a spring l6 cooperating at one end with means it for adjustably varying the tension of the spring. Carried by the support as upon a flat spring ii is a brake shoe 18 having a suitable friction surdrum is, the normal pressure being adjustable in part by a stop is in combination with the adjustment ii. The outer.

end of the support may be very yieldingly or rigidly mounted thereon, and conveniently comprises a' curved guide 2t over whichthe film is adapted to pass. The feed reel may be driven in any desired manner, as continuously, but the driving is preferably accompanied by means of a friction 'drive 26' adjustably controlled by means of a spring 2'! andm nut 28" whereby the maximum driving force may be definitely limited. The above described friction drive may transmit power to the spindle through gears 3d and ti. Cooperating with the lower reel 3 braking and tensioning mechanism comprising a support 2! having a pivotal mounting 22 and as upon a fiat spring 22' carrying a brake shoe is. This brake shoe, like the shoe i8, cooperates with an adjustable stop it. The outer end of the support fl is also provided with either yieldingly or a rigidly mounted film guide 25 over which the film must pass in its travel to the take-up reel.

The take-up reel may be driven in any desired manner, but the driving is preferably accomplished by means of a friction drive 26, adjustably controlled by means of a spring 2? and a nut 28, whereby the maximum driving force may be definitely limited.

The friction drives by any desired means. means. may be revolved at a speed greater than that of the sprocket 9, the'compensation for this difierence being secured by the braking elements and friction drives herein described.

The curved film guides ingly mounted upon the arms i3 and it in any 2% and 263' may be powered desired manner. For purposes of illustration only, Figure 3 of the drawings shows one such manner. The film guides 2E? may be attached to their respective arms as by flat springs as illustrated in Figure 3.

In actual operation the feeding of the film in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1 will be effective for pulling the support it downwardly against the action ofthe spring is to thereby slightly release the brake and permit the film to unwind therefrom. The brake, however, is preferably never completely disengaged from the drum it, the upper reel thereby being always maintained under a slight braldng pressure effective for preventing over-running thereof. This increase in braking pressure in operation tends to lessen the efiectiveness of the friction drive, and consequently the amount of film delivered by the feed reel in response to the pull of the intermittentfeed wheel or sprocket 9. This is highly desirable, as it prevents the formation of any amount of slack, and consequently maintains more nearly uniform conditions of tension and feed.

The action of the lower braking andtensioning mechanism is preferably such as to counteract the pull of the friction drive. In other words, the greater the driving force required by reason of tension on the film, the greate'r will be the friction This supis a second Both of these driving it may be very yieldaoeassi exerted by the brake shoe 23, for the reason that the tension on the film will be increased, thereby tending to move the support 2| upwardly, as shown in the drawings, in a counterclockwise direction about its pivotal mounting, thereby causing the brake shoe 23 to bear more tightly against its braking surface. This increase in braking pressure in operation tends to lessen the effectiveness of the friction drive, and consequently. the pull against the intermittent feed wheel or sprocket 9. In actual practice this mechanism has been found to accomplish a very decided improvement in registration at the aperture it. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present apparatus provides a decidedly efiective means of automatically maintaining the desired tension in a length of material by the material itself: As-the amount of tension becomes too great, thepull of the material intermediate the two carriers will be increased,'thereby decreasing the resistance to rotation on the delivering carrier, making the delivery of material easier in order to'restore the desired tension conditions. At the same time such an increase in tension will serve to counteract to a desirable extent the force of the driving mechanism, whereby the material will not be subjected at any time to undue strain.

It will be realized that the invention is further of particular importance in connection with the motion picture industry; for example, wherein there is utilized apparatus embodying a gate through which the material must be fed, and particularly a sectional gate. This is true for the reason that by the use of a sectional gate the initial feeding of the fiim is expedited and by reason of the automatic control for the tension any manual adjustment is obviated.

To summarise the operation of the feeding apparatus: As the sprocket 9 revolves, the arm is depressed and energy is stored in the spring it. While the sprocket 9 is at rest, the spring It pulls the arm is upwardly, thereby causing an amount of film i to be pulled from the reel 2. Upon the next rotation of the sprocket the film l is again moved downwardly, the portion necessary to compensate for this displacement being the amount of film previously pulled out wardly from the reel 2, and that'which is at that moment pulled on of the reel 2. This downward movement of film again moves the arm it,

of the drag as of a heavily loaded feeding reel.

In such case, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the frictional drive of the feeding reel may be at a rate less than that of the drive of the sprocket d.

The flat spring 22' acts both as a support for the braking pad 23 and also, in a manner analogous to that of the coiled spring It, to thrust thefilm contacting member 25 forwardly thus keeping it in constant contact with the bight in the film between the intermittent feeding member d and the take-up carrier 3. As the sprocket 9 revolves, thereby increasing this bight, the action of the spring 22' moves 'the film contacting surface 25 downwardly thus preventing the foring each of said spring 22' under increasing tension in preparation for the next revolution of the intermittent feeding sprocket 9.

As the result of the operation heretofore de scribed, the delivery carrier and the take-up carrier operate continuously, but at rates of speed which vary in step with the intermittent operation of sprocket 9, and all of the material between .the carriers is continuously maintained at substantially constant tension. As previously pointed out. the braking function of these auxiliary feeding mechanisms is useful, particularly when abnormal conditions of feeding arise, but is'not necessary in all cases to of the constant tension of the film or to the auxiliary feeding operation above described.- It will be noted by those skilled in the art that if the frictional drive of the feeding reel is at a rate less than that of the sprocket 9, the operation of the brake l8 will have the effect of preventing the previously mentioned over-running of the film The advantages of the present invention arise from the provision of means for maintaining a braking pressure on a delivery carrier, thereby maintaining more nearly uniform and effective conditions of venting over-running of the material from the deliveryor feeding carrier.

Still other advantages of the invention arise from the provision of means cooperating with the take-up carrier, whereby the pull exerted through the driving mechanism is not transmitted in full and unregulated to the material or to the feeding mechanism.

Still further advantages arise from a mechanism of the character referred to as applied to the motion picture industry or to the feeding of sensitized or photographic film in that it serves to decrease pull on the feeding sprocket and thereby insure more accurate registration of successive exposures at the gate aperture.

Additional advantages arise from the provision of auxiliary feeding means operated by the film itself which, without any preliminary manipulation by the operator, are effective for compensetting for the differences in characteristics of movement of the intermittent feeding member at. the aperture, the deliveryreel and the continuously driven take-up reel, wh le maintaining the entire operative length of the film under substantially constant tension and minimizing the strain and wear thereupon.

Other advantages arise from the cooperation of the continuously operating driving means for the feeding reel with the intermittent sprocket in advancing the film without loops of slack and with a minimum tension being brought upon the film.

We claim:

1. In a film handling apparatus, a feeding reel, 9. take-up reel, a gate therebetween, a bight of film extending from each reel to the gate, two movable film guides each having a curved surface which engages one of the bights of the film between the gate and the appropriate reel, one leg of the film extending in a direct line from the curved surface of each guide to its relatively adjacent reel while the other leg of said film extends in a direct line from said curved surface to the gate, feeding means for intermittently drawing the film from one feeding reel through the gate and advancing it toward the other reel, spring means for thrustguides forwardly toward the film to tension the film during each operation of the maintenance tension on the material and presaid intermittent feeding means, and powered mechanism for continuously driving each of said reels in a feedingdirection at such a rate that the film is continuously maintained in operative relation with the said curved surface of the film guide associated with said reel.

2. In a film handling apparatus, a delivery carrier and a take-up carrier, a gate between said carriers, a first bight of the film extending between said delivery carrier and said gate, a first film guide having a curved surface continuously engaging the film in said first bight, one leg of the film of said first bight extending in a direct line from the curved surface f said first guide to the delivery carrier while the other leg extends in a direct line from said first surface to said gate, a second bight of the film extending between said gate and said take-up carrier, at second film guide having a curved surface constantly engaging the film in said second bight, one leg of the film of said second bight extending in a direct line from the gate to the curvedsurface of said second guide and the other leg of said bight extending in a direct line from said curved surface to said take-up carrier, means for intermittently pulling the film directly from said delivery carrier and advancing it toward said take-up carrier thereby decreasing said first bight and increasing said second bight, means operative in step with each such intermittent feeding operation for thrusting said first guide forward toward the film to increase the length of both legs of said first bight, means operative in step with each such intermittent feeding operation to urge said second guide forward toward the film to maintain said bight under tension, powered mechanism for driving each of said carriers continuously and in a feeding direction, and yielding means for transmitting the power of said mechanism to each of said carriers, said mechanism and said transmitting means bcing effective to drive said carriers at such a rate that each of said guides is maintained in operative relation with the film during each such intermittent feeding operation.

3. In a film handling apparatus, a delivery carrier and a take-up carrier, a gate therebetween, a first bight of the film extending between said delivery carrler and said gate, a first film guide having a curved surface continuously engaging the film in said first bight, one leg of the film of said first bight extending in a direct line from the curved surface of said first guide to the delivery carrier while the other leg extends in a direct line from said curved surface to said gate, a second bight of the film extending between said gate and said take-up carrier, a second film guide having a curved surface constantly engaging the film in said second bight, one leg of the film of said second bight extending in a direct line from the gate to the curved surface of said second guide and the other leg of said bight extending in a direct line from said curved surface to said takeup carrier, means including a toothed feeding member for intermittently pulling the film directly from said driven delivery carrier and advancing it toward said take-up carrier thereby decreasing said first'bight-and'tending to increase said second bight, a first means operative after each such intermittent feeding movement for thrusting said first guide forwardly toward the film to increase the length of both legs of said first bight in preparation for the next intermittent feeding movement, a second means operative after each such intermittent feeding move ment for urging said second guide forwardly toward the film in opposition to the operation of said driven take-up carrier so that the continued operation of said take-up carrier during the inactivity of said intermittent feeding means such intermittent feeding operation.

4. In a film. handling apparatus, a. delivery carrier, powered mechanism for continuously and yieldingly driving said delivery carrier in a feeding direction, a gate, a bight of the film extending between said delivery carrier and said gate, a movable film guide having a curved surface engaging the film in said bight, one leg of the film in said bight extending in a direct line from the curved surface of said first guide to said delivery carrier while the other leg extends in' a direct line from said curved surface to said gate, means for intermittently drawing the film directly from said delivery carrier and through said gate thereby decreasing said'blght, and means operative after each such intermittent feeding movement for thrusting said guide forwardly toward the film to increase the length of both legs of said bight, said thrusting means being effective to move said guide with sufiicient rapidity and said mechanism driving said delivery carrier at a rate efiective to prevent the advancement of the film by said driven carrier suficiently rapidly to cause slack in the film.

5. In a film handlingapparatus, a delivery carrier, an apertured gate, film Supporting devices establishing a bight in the section of the film extending between said delivery carrier and said gate, an intermittent feed for drawing. the film away from said delivery carrier and through said gate past the aperture thereof, resiliently operated mechanism including a member contacting the film in said bight for supporting and tensioning the film during each operation of said intermittent feed, and means for driving said delivery reel in a feeding direction at such rate that said film contacting member continuously remains in operative relation with the-film.

6. In a film handling apparatus, a delivery reel, powered mechanism for continuously driving said delivery reel in a feeding direction, an intermittent pulldown mechanism, a spring pressedarm engaging and forming bight in a film between said reel and said pulldown, the pulldown being operative to advance the film intermittently and thus intermittently to reduce the size of the bight and move the arm against its spring tension, and the arm being operative to restore the bight to a predetermined size between each of such movements, the spring tension of the arm being so proportioned with respect to the speed of the reel and to the speed'and force of the pulldown that the film is advanced continuously from the reel.

7. In a film handling apparatus, a delivery carrier, a take-up carrier, powered mechanism for continuously driving each of said carriers in a feeding direction, a yielding transmission between said powered mechanism and each of said carriers, an intermittently operating toothed feeding member positioned between said carriers for drawing film directly from said delivery carrier and moving it towardsaid take-up carrier, and mechanim for compensating for the difference in character of movement of said carriers v and said feeding member; said compensating I mechanism associated wlth said delivery carrier including a spring pressed movable member engaging the film and forming a bight therein'be-' tween said delivery. carrier and said intermittent feeding member, the film feeding member bein operative to pull the rum intermittently directly from said delivery carrier thereby tending to move it more rapidly than it is moved by the driving mechanism associated therewith and thus intermittently reducing the size of the bight and moving the springmember against its tension and the spring member being operative to restore the bight to a predetermined size between each of such movements, the spring tension of the member being so proportioned withrespect to the speed of the carrier andrthe speed and force of the feeding member that the film is withdrawn continuously from said carrier and said member maintained continuously in operative relation with the film; and said compensating mechanism associated with said take-up carrier including forming a bight therein between said feedin Vmember and said take-up membenthe spring pressed member being continuously pressed against the film under the influence of its spring and thus being efiective during each period of operation of said feeding member to increase the size of the bight as the film is advanced to it by said feeding member and the continuously driven take-up carrier being operative during each period of idleness of said intermittent feeding member to reduce the size of the bight against the tension of the spring, the spring tension of said spring. pressed movable member associated with said take-up carrier being so proportioned in respect to the force and speed of the continuously driven take-up carrier and the frequency and speed of operation of said intermittent feeding member that the film is wound continuously upon said take-up carrier. a

8. In a film handling apparatus, a delivery reel, a take-up reel, powered mechanism for drivin both of said reels in afeeding direction, an intermittent pulldown mechanism, a first spring pressed arm engaging the film and forming a first bight in the film between said delivery reel and said pulldown, a second spring pressed arm engaging the film and forming a second bight in the film between said pulldownand said takeup reel, the pulldown being operative to advance the film intermittently from the delivery reel and thus reduce the size of the first bight and increase the size of the second bight, the spring tension of the first arm being so proportioned with respect to the speed of the delivery reel and the armremains constantly in contact with the film and the speed and force of the pulldown that the film is withdrawn continuously from the delivery reel and the arm maintained in continuous engagement with the film, and the spring tension of the second arm being so proportioned with rotatable delivery carrier, a reciprocable auxil- 2,004,531 5 iary film feeding member mounted to enzage the by said film engaging member for retarding the film in a bight thereof between said intermittent rate of rotation of said spindle under the influmember and said carrier, operative movement of ence of said yielding drive so that slack does not ward said intermittent member, said resilient ing direction, a continuously operating drive for means being powered to move said auxiliary feedrevolving said delivery carrier in a feeding direcing member to re-establish said bight in the film tion for moving the film supported thereby toward at such speed as to reach the end of its reciprosaid feeding means, a yeldlng transmission beeable travel away from said intermittent member tween said drive andsaid carrier, a brake operfeeding member, whereby the film is continuously preventing shocks thereto and assisting said brakmoved from said carrier, partly bylsaid intermiting means in the prevention of the formation of tent feeding member, partly by said auxiliary k.

feeding member, and partly by said drive. In a film handling ap s. in Comb na- 10. In a film handling apparatus, a delivery tion. a rotatable u ply sp ndle carryin a coil said intermittent feed, and a yielding transmisfilm y Said Spring aded member, the film movl sion between said powered drive and said delivery s on of a d sp lo ed membe cooperspindle, said powered drive being effective to asatlhg With the intermittent film movement by sist in the advance of the film toward said intersaid feeding means an the rate of movement of mittent feed thereby tending to overcomethe inthe m by d d en elivery reel for comertia of the carrier, said yielding transmission be- Pensatlng the difference in e c a acter of ing effective to permit said intermittent feed to the movement of the fi m y said feeding means revolve said carrier faster than does said drive, d d pindle and preventing excess te i and said resilient member being effective to main- Slack in the tain' the filmconstantly in motion and under ten- In a film handling apparatus, a supply a sion thereby preventing shock to the film and rier, W l Yieldihgly driving Said assisting in preventlng the formation of slack supply carrier in a feeding direction, a gate,

In m handling apparatus, a delivery means for feeding film supported by said carspindle adapted for the removable mounting f rier through said gate faster than the peripheral a r i thereupon an t tt pulpdown speed of the coil of film on said carrier as rotated for drawing the film directly from said carrier, by a yielding d nd means ated by the delivery spindle and a spring pressed tensloning move said pivoted member in OppOSltiOn t0 the member engaging t m between denvery action of the film when the film is moved by said carrier and said intermittent pull-down, the tenfeeding means, and braking m ns m nted upon .sion of the spring of member hearingsuch 81nd bodily m0vab1 said pivoted member relation to the rate of drive of the delivery spinand effective to 9 ate with Said Carrie! upon die and the rate of mbvement' of the pull-down the movement ofv said piv member y the that la k does t occur in t section of t action of said spring whereby the rate of rotation film between t carrier and said pull-down, of said carrier is decreased upon movement 12. In a. film handling apparatus, a spindle thereof id spring.

upon which a delivery carrier may be mounted, In a film handling apparatus, a delivery an intermittent feed for withdrawing the film Spindle upon w ich a Carrier y be mounted, a supported by said delivery earlier directly thered e for r volving said delivery p l in a feedfrom and advancing it in a feeding direction, ng direction, a yielding transmission between a drive for continuously revolving said delivery said drive and said carrier, feeding means for carrier in a feeding direction for moving the film Withdrawing the film d y from Said carrier,

toward said intermittent feed, a yielding transand means operated by the lm r n l n mission between said drive and said carrier, a the rate of rotation of said carrier, said means brake for said spindle, a member engaging the including a guide enga the fi between a d film between said carrier and said intermittent carrier and said feeding means a pivoted memfeed, and a connection for operating said brake her upon which said Iuide is mounted, a spring 75 adapted to move said pivoted member in opwith and efiectlve to cooperate with said drum position to the action of the film when the film is upon the movement of said movable member by moved by said feeding means and to hold said the action of said spring whereby the rate of guide in continuous operative relation to the rotation of said spindle and said carrier mounted film, a brake drum attached to saidspindle and thereupon is control1ed. 5 revoluble therewith, and braking means mounted CLARKSON ULYSSES BUNDICK. upon said movable member for movement there- BARTON ALLEN PROCTOR. 

